ELDERLY people have been promised improved care in the community after the county council handed over its old people's residential homes to a charity.

Heritage Care will redevelop the homes to give pensioners more independence in their day-to-day lives without losing help from care home staff.

The council is getting rid of them because Government legislation says that all rooms in residential homes have to be a certain size and have en suite bathrooms and toilets by April next year.

But Holmers House in High Wycombe, and Katharine Knapp in Tylers Green, along with Swan House in Winslow and the Chestnuts and the Croft in Aylesbury, do not fit the bill and must be rebuilt.

Contracts between Buckinghamshire County Council and Heritage Care are expected to be exchanged next month.

Cllr Hugh Carey, the council's cabinet member responsible for the care of older people, said that for many years care managers only had a couple of options to offer older people, either a place in a residential home or help in their own homes.

He added that in the new homes: "The client moves in, has total independence if they want it, but if they need additional care they can get it from the home and even take meals there."

Holmers House will be rebuilt on the same site but there is a question mark over what will happen to people at Katharine Knapp.

The council wants to build a new home on the former Cedars School site in Hazlemere and sell the Katharine Knapp site for homes.

But people in Hazlemere want the county council-owned school site used for the community.